Combined bottle and screw cap assembly

Abstract

A container assembly including a bottle and cap arrangement is disclosed herein along with a cooperating arrangement for placing the cap arrangement in a predetermined closed position relative to the bottle. The assembly also includes a seal arrangement for maintaining a proper seal when the bottle is closed.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A container assembly comprising: (a) a bottle including a top open end and a cylindrical top end section extending downwardly from said open end, said top end section being provided with external threads;   (b) a cap arrangement including means defining a cylindrical innermost surface containing internal threads which are designed to cooperate with said external threads for screwing down the cap arrangement around the top end section of said bottle for closing its open end and an underside extending across and above said innermost surface;   (c) means for locating said cap arrangement in a predetermined, closed position along the length of the top section of said bottle, said locating means including means forming part of said cap arrangement for providing an internal, radially inwardly extending rib located below said internal threads and means forming part of said bottle for providing an external recess below said external threads so as to receive said rib as said cap arrangement is screwed down into said predetermined closed position, said recess providing means including a first projection extending radially outwardly from and formed on the top section of said bottle below said external threads and a second projection extending radially outwardly from and formed on the top section of said bottle in a position past and extending further out than said first projection in the screw closing direction of rotational movement of said cap arrangement, whereby said recess is defined between said projections; and   (d) means for providing a seal around the open end of said bottle between the latter and the underside of said cap arrangement when said cap arrangement is in said predetermined closed position and even if said cap arrangement is in a position around the top end section of said bottle predetermined distances above or below said predetermined closed position.   
     
     
       2. A container assembly according to claim 1 wherein said cap arrangement includes a resilient cylindrical skirt depending downwardly from and connected with said means defining said innermost surface below said internal threads, said skirt carrying said rib on its inner surfaces. 
     
     
       3. A container assembly according to claim 1 wherein said seal providing means and said cap arrangement include cooperating means for interlocking said seal providing means and said cap arrangement when the latter is separated from said bottle. 
     
     
       4. A container assembly according to claim 1 wherein said second projection extends sufficiently far out from said top section for preventing said rib from moving past it whereby to prevent said cap arrangement from being screwed down past said predetermined closed position. 
     
     
       5. A container assembly comprising: (a) a bottle including a top open end and a cylindrical top end section extending downwardly from said open end, said top end section being provided with external threads;   (b) a cap arrangement including means defining a cylindrical innermost surface containing internal threads which are designed to cooperate with said external threads for screwing down the cap arrangement around the top end section of said bottle for closing its open end;   (c) means for locating said cap arrangement in a predetermined closed position along the length of the top section of said bottle, said locating means including means forming part of said cap arrangement for providing an internal, radially inwardly extending rib located below said internal threads and means forming part of said bottle for providing an external recess below said external threads so as to receive said rib as said cap arrangement is screwed down into said predetermined closed position, said recess providing means and said rib cooperating with one another for making it more difficult to screw down said cap arrangement past said predetermined position than to unscrew the cap arrangement from said predetermined position, and said recess providing means including a first projection extending radially outwardly from and formed on the top section of said bottle below said external threads and a second projection extending radially outwardly from and formed on the top section of said bottle in a position past said first projection in the screw closing direction of rotational movement of said cap arrangement, whereby said recess is defined between said projections, said second projection extending out from said top section further than said first projection for making it more difficult to screw down said cap arrangement past said predetermined closed position than to unscrew the cap from the same position; and   (d) means for providing a seal around the open end of said bottle between the latter and said cap arrangement when said cap arrangement is in said predetermined closed position.   
     
     
       6. A container assembly according to claim 5 wherein said second projection extends sufficiently far out from said top section for preventing said rib from moving past it whereby to prevent said cap arrangement from being screwed down past said predetermined closed position. 
     
     
       7. A container assembly according to claim 5 wherein said cap arrangement includes a resilient cylindrical skirt depending downwardly from and connected with said means defining said innermost surface below said internal threads, said skirt carrying said rib on its inner surface. 
     
     
       8. A container assembly according to claim 5 wherein said cap arrangement includes a rigid outer cap having an outermost cross-sectional periphery which is non-circular in configuration. 
     
     
       9. A container assembly according to claim 5 wherein said cap arrangement includes an underside extending across and above said innermost surface and wherein said seal providing means includes a resilient O-ring and seal means located over the open end of said bottle supporting said O-ring above said open end such that the O-ring engages the underside of said cap arrangement when the latter is in said predetermined closed position in order to cause said seal means to seal closed said open end. 
     
     
       10. A container assembly according to claim 9 wherein said O-ring is dimensioned to engage said underside to provide said sealing even if said cap arrangement is in a position around the top end section of said bottle predetermined distances above or below said predetermined closed position. 
     
     
       11. A container assembly according to claim 10 wherein said seal means supporting said O-ring and said cap arrangement include cooperating means for interlocking said seal means and the supported O-ring to said cap arrangement when the latter is separated from said bottle. 
     
     
       12. A container assembly according to claim 5 wherein said cap arrangement includes an underside extending across and above said innermost surface and wherein said seal providing means includes a disc shaped sealing means adapted to sit on the top of the top end of said bottle across the top open end of the latter, said disc shaped sealing means including means defining an upwardly facing annular channel and radially outwardly extending hook means, a resilient O-ring positioned within and extending upwardly beyond said channel for engaging said underside when said cap arrangement is in said predetermined closed position or even if said arrangement is in a position around the top end section of said bottle predetermined distances above or below said predetermined closed position whereby to cause said disc-shaped sealing means to seal close said open end, said cap arrangement including hook means interconnected with said last-mentioned hook means in order to interlock said disc-shaped support means and O-ring with said cap arrangement while allowing limited axial movement of the disc-shaped support means and O-ring relative to the cap arrangement. 
     
     
       13. A container assembly according to claim 5 wherein said cap arrangement includes a rigid outer cap having an outermost cross-sectional periphery which is non-circular in configuration, wherein said bottle includes a main body having an outermost cross-sectional periphery substantially identical to the outermost cross-sectional periphery of said outer cap, and wherein said peripheries are in alignment with each other when said cap arrangement is in said predetermined closed position. 
     
     
       14. A container assembly comprising: (a) a bottle including a top open end and a cylindrical top end section extending downwardly from said open end, said top end section being provided with external threads;   (b) a cap arrangement including means defining a cylindrical innermost surface containing internal threads which are designed to cooperate with said external threads for screwing down the cap arrangement around the top end section of said bottle for closing its open end, said cap arrangement also including an underside extending across and above said innermost surface;   (c) means for locating said cap arrangement in a predetermined closed position along the length of the top section of said bottle, said locating means including means forming part of said cap arrangement for providing an internal, radially inwardly extending rib located below said internal threads and means forming part of said bottle for providing an external recess below said external threads so as to receive said rib as said cap arrangement is screwed down into said predetermined closed position, said recess providing means and said rib cooperating with one another for making it more difficult to screw down said cap arrangement past said predetermined position than to unscrew the cap arrangement from said predetermined position; and   (d) means for providing a seal around the open end of said bottle between the latter and said cap arrangement when said cap arrangement is in said predetermined closed position, said seal providing means including a resilient O-ring and seal means located over the open end of said bottle supporting said O-ring above said open end such that the O-ring engages the underside of said cap arrangement when the latter is in said predetermined closed position in order to cause said seal means to seal closed said open end.   
     
     
       15. A container assembly according to claim 14 wherein said O-ring is dimensioned to engage said underside to provide said sealing even if said cap arrangement is in a position around the top end section of said bottle predetermined distances above and below said predetermined closed position. 
     
     
       16. A container assembly comprising: (a) a bottle including a top open end and a cylindrical top end section extending downwardly from said open end, said top end section being provided with external threads;   (b) a cap arrangement including means defining a cylindrical innermost surface containing internal threads which are designed to cooperate with said external threads for screwing down the cap arrangement around the top end section of said bottle for closing its open end, said cap arrangement also including an underside extending across and above said innermost surface;   (c) means for locating said cap arrangement in a predetermined closed position along the length of the top section of said bottle, said locating means including means forming part of said cap arrangement for providing an internal, radially inwardly extending rib located below said internal threads and means forming part of said bottle for providing an external recess below said external threads so as to receive said rib as said cap arrangement is screwed down into said predetermined closed position, said recess providing means and said rib cooperating with one another for making it more difficult to screw down said cap arrangement past said predetermined position than to unscrew the cap arrangement from said predetermined position; and   (d) means for providing a seal around the open end of said bottle between the latter and said cap arrangement when said cap arrangement is in said predetermined closed position, said seal providing means including a resilient O-ring and seal means located over the open end of said bottle supporting said O-ring above said open end such that the O-ring engages the underside of said cap arrangement when the latter is in said predetermined closed position in order to cause said seal means to seal closed said open end, said O-ring being dimensioned to engage said underside to provide said sealing even if said cap arrangement is in a position around the top end section of said bottle predetermined distances above and below said predetermined closed position, said seal means supporting said O-ring and said cap arrangement including cooperating means for interlocking said seal means and the supported O-ring to said cap arrangement when the latter is separated from said bottle.   
     
     
       17. A container assembly comprising: a bottle including a top open end and a cylindrical top end section extending downwardly from said open end, said top end section being provided with external threads; a cap arrangement including means defining a cylindrical innermost surface containing internal threads which are designed to cooperate with said external threads for screwing down the cap arrangement around the top end section of said bottle for closing its open end; means for locating said cap arrangement in a predetermined closed position along the length of the top section of said bottle, said locating means including means forming part of said cap arrangement for providing an internal, radially inwardly extending rib located below said internal threads and means forming part of said bottle for providing an external recess below said external threads so as to receive said rib as said cap arrangement is screwed down into said predetermined closed position, said recess providing means and said rib cooperating with one another for making it more difficult to screw down said cap arrangement past said predetermined position than to unscrew the cap arrangement from said predetermined position; and means for providing a seal around the open end of said bottle between the latter and said cap arrangement when said cap arrangement is in said predetermined closed position; said cap arrangement including an underside extending across and above said innermost surface and in said seal providing means including a disc-shaped sealing means adapted to sit on the top of the top end section of said bottle across the top open end of the latter, said disc-shaped sealing means including means defining an upwardly facing annular channel and radially outwardly extending hook means, a resilient O-ring positioned within and extending upwardly beyond said channel for engaging said underside when said cap arrangement is in said predetermined closed position or even if said arrangement is in a position around the top end section of said bottle predetermined distances above and below said predetermined closed position whereby to cause said disc-shaped sealing means to seal close said open end, said cap arrangement also including hook means interconnected with said last-mentioned hook means in order to interlock said disc-shaped support means and O-ring with said cap arrangement while allowing limited axial movement of the disc-shaped support means and O-ring relative to the cap arrangement. 
     
     
       18. A container assembly comprising: (a) a bottle including a top open end and a cylindrical top end section extending downwardly from said open end, said top end section being provided with external threads;   (b) a cap arrangement including means defining a cylindrical innermost surface containing internal threads which are designed to cooperate with said external threads for screwing down the cap arrangement around the top end section of said bottle for closing its open end, said cap arrangement also including an underside extending across and above said innermost surface;   (c) means for locating said cap arrangement in a predetermined closed position along the length of the top section of said bottle; and   (d) means for providing a seal around the open end of said bottle between the latter and said cap arrangement when said cap arrangement is in said predetermined closed position, said seal providing means including a resilient O-ring and seal means located over the open end of said bottle supporting said O-ring above said opened end such that the O-ring engages the underside of said cap arrangement when the latter is in said predetermined closed position in order to cause said seal means to seal closed said open end, said O-ring being dimensioned to engage said underside to provide said sealing even if said cap arrangement is in a position around the top end section of said bottle predetermined distances above and below said predetermined closed position, said seal means supporting said O-ring and said cap arrangement include cooperating means for interlocking said seal means and the supported O-ring to said cap arrangement when the latter is separated from said bottle.